Racetrack's First Love
by Half-Pint
Summary: I am writing purely sugary and cheesy stories of each of the newsies first loves, starting with Race. Try to enjoy.
1. How Fiona HalfPint O'Connor Came to the ...

All right, I've been playing around with these characters for a long time with a friend of mine. And now, I've decided to write a fic based on the newsies and the girls they eventually come to fall in love with. They're Mary-Sues, yes, but hopefully well written. The newsies will make their appearance in the next chapter. Enjoy!  
  
bChapter One/b  
  
  
How Fiona "Half-Pint" O'Connor got to the Newsboys Lodging House.  
  
  
Her insides ached and little feet hurt more and more with every step she took, but a driving force inside her said "keep running", even though the clouds were becoming low in the sky and a slight drizzle was coming down. She ignored it and kept running, choking for breath, not wanting to stop for everytime she did she saw her mother laying there in a bloody heap while her father smiled over her once blond curls that were now stained with the deep red of a freshly opened wound. But he wasn't really even her father, she wasn't even allowed to call him Da (Irish term for daddy) or even Father, but simply "Michael". He told her she wasn't worthy of calling him that, that she had messed up his life and her mother.   
  
Rain began to beat down harder and little Fiona was running out of steam. She had been running on adrenaline all the way from Brooklyn and her fast run was turning into a slow jog. Her clothes were becoming soaked and her carpet bag containing her doll and a pair or two of fresh tights and underwear would soon soak through and ruin those. She soon looked up to see her savior, a sign that read something she couldn't decipher as no one had ever taught her to read or sent her to school. She made out the word "Boys" and "House" from the limited vocabulary she possessed....she could recognize a few words from her mother's nightly Bible readings. She tugged on the knob of the building to find it open and ran in, finding an old man standing behind the counter. Knowing he would kick out the drenched street rat, she ducked behind a couch and waited for his passing.   
  
He laughed to himself. "No sense in hidin'. We already saw you."   
  
She popped up from behind the couch, her malnourished face contorted in a disappointed expression and her blond hair sticking to her wet clothes.  
  
"I'm sorry sir." she told him turning towards the door. "I'll go then if I ain't welcome."  
  
"You got a place to stay?" He asked the pathetic little creature before him. She shook her head wearily, about to break down from the trauma she had just witnessed.   
  
He smiled warmly, a smile that reminded her of the postcards of Santa Claus she used to leaf through, loving his welcoming smile, even though Santa always seemed to skip over her house every year.  
  
"Well, come stay with us a night or two or maybe longer." He told her welcomingly and beckoned her over to sign the book.  
  
"Can you write your name?" He asked opening the logbook.  
  
She shook her head wearily. "No, sir. I can spell it though."   
  
He smiled a little, surveying her. A warm bed, food, and a bath is just what she needed.   
  
"Do you want me to write it here? Or I can write a nickname in case youse in trouble."   
  
She nodded. "That'd be better. See, he's looking for me and I can't have him finding me, or else..." she couldn't finish for fear she would cry. Her little green eyes that barely peered over the desk seemed filled to the brim with the sorrow of an old woman.  
  
He smiled sympathetically. "Its all right. You don't have to tell me anything. Let's see...we'll call you Half-Pint since you're mighty tiny."   
  
She smiled for the first time in a long time. "Half-Pint...I like it."   
  
"Me too. Say, how old are you Half-Pint?"   
  
"11."   
  
He looked her over in disbelief. This poor, dirty child looked to be no more than 8. He scribbled a note in his personal files and then smiled as a grandfather would smile upon his granddaughter.  
  
"Well, miss...I think we ought to feed you, get you cleaned up and in a fresh bed." He said, failing to mention the fee involved in living here. He figured she needed this badly and let her live, for at least a while, for free.  
  
She smiled wide.   
  
"Miss." she smiled even bigger. "No one's ever called me miss before." 


	2. Introductions

I must let you know that Kim, the girl whom I have been playing around with the characters, did not like the idea of the newsies being asses. BUT, I reason they were just little 12-year-old punks and grew up later on to become friends.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!   
  
The story will keep going with them as kids for a chapter or two and then keep moving on slowly to vignettes of them at different ages. I like them as kids, personally, but they have to fall in love sometime!   
  
MUCHO credit also goes to Kim, FictionHobbit, for helping me play with, and continue to play with these characters.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Introductions  
  
Fiona suddenly became scared and shy as she heard the loud noises of the boys above. After being fed, Kloppman smiled at her, taking her hand.  
  
"You wanna meet everyone?"   
  
She shrugged.   
  
He kneeled down in front of the little girl and took her hands.   
  
"Come on, I promise they'll be nice. You trust me right?"   
  
She shrugged again, her eyes suddenly possessing something it hadn't before. Was it innocence or sadness? He couldn't tell.  
  
The little girl removed her doll from her bag as he took her hand to meet the boys. It was a beautiful looking doll, with big blue eyes and long blonde curls with a blue dress to match and little Fiona clung to it possesively.  
  
"Everybody decent?" Kloppman asked banging on the door.   
  
"Yeah, yeah." A little heavily accented voice answered and opened the door. "Who's this?"  
  
By this time, the noise had startled the little girl so that she sought refuge behind Kloppman, peeking out just a little. The little girl had something about her that drew him to her. Her face was so sweet and angelic and scared and her eyes so big and untrusting, he almost wanted to just hug her himself.   
  
"Hello. I'se Racetrack Higgins." he said, bowing and grinning. He was a boy who looked no more than nine, but was in actually 12. He had dark brown hair that almost curled but didn't quite and big brown eyes that reminded Fiona of a puppy dog. "Who's dis?"  
  
"This is Half-Pint." Kloppman told him shoving her forward a little. She whispered an inaudible hello, but Race read her lips. He introduced her around, taking on the liberty of taking over the tour himself.  
  
After showing her some place to clean up and sensing she was uncomfortable with all the noise, Racetrack took Fiona and her doll outside on the fire escape. she smiled at him gently, not opening up, just staring silently ahead.  
  
"What happened? How come you're heah?" Race ask the thin little girl.  
  
She didn't answer, only saw a mother and daughter pass hand in hand and burst into tears. She held the doll closer to her, making her look even more innocent, even more vulnerable. Race matched her gaze and saw the pair pass too. A single tear slipped down his cheek as he sat next to her.  
  
"I'm sorry. Mine's got too. Shhh, let it out." He told her, stroking her freshly washed blond hair.   
  
Fiona cried for a good long time before pulling away and wiping her eyes.  
  
"She died just two days ago."  
  
"Oh...you wanna talk about it?"  
  
She shrugged "Michael...my father...he killed her and made me watch." she squeaked out, wiping her eyes. "What happened to your mama?"  
  
He stared into the sky for a minute before meeting Fiona's eyes. "I killed her. She bled too much when I was born, so I killed her."   
  
Fiona felt sorry for the young boy and for once in her left felt she wasn't alone in her suffering. All these kids had felt some kind of trauma sometime.   
  
After holding Race for a long while, Fiona decided she'd make up a new story. Back at home, she was always making up some new fantasy to play, some way to escape from the world around her. Race would be her husband and Aine, her doll, their daughter. She smiled on his chest, liking that idea.   
  
As she held him, she heard something fall to the floor and she picked it up, a beautiful rosary that had fallen out of Race's pocket.  
  
"This is yours." she told him handing it to him.   
  
"Oh...it was my mom." he told her tucking it back in his pocket. "She was da most wondahful woman in the world. But I screwed everythin' up by bein' born."  
  
She stroked his cheek and smiled. "Don't worry. I screwed it all up by bein' born too."   
  
He shrugged and smiled "Everything happens for a reason, Halfie."  
  
she smiled and yawned a little.  
  
"Aine's tired...I think we should get to sleep."   
  
"Aight." he told her, getting up.  
  
"We're friends right?" he asked moving a hand through her hair.  
  
She nodded. "Yup, you're my first friend."   
  
He grinned "You too. Dese bums, dey don't count."  
  
He had failed to mention to her that he was the kid most of the boys picked on for the sole reason that they wanted to pick on someone. True, he had a few friends in Specs, Snitch and Bumlets, but the rest of the guys were assholes to him, making fun of his height and stature mostly.  
  
She smiled at him, wished him goodnight and headed inside to fall asleep on the girl's side of the bunkroom amoung a bunch of strangers.  
  
****  
  
He was in the Lodging House. He had found her and was hovering over her bed in the darkness with a gun to her head. As she opened her big green eyes, his cocked the gun.   
  
Her eyes adjusted to the light and she recognized his face...it was unmistakable with that firey red hair and red mustache to match.   
  
"Ha!" he cackled. "I found you....and now you'll finally pay for making my life hell."   
  
He leaned in, pulling her hair, his breath smelling of the cheapest whiskey in New York.   
  
"Don't scream." he told her. "It'll all be over much quicker if you just hold still."   
  
Somewhere, Fiona found her voice and screamed to high heaven, trying to alert Race or Kloppman.   
  
As her scream ended, she found herself halfway between the dream world and reality. Her blood curling scream had awaken the entire lodging house and the older girls grumbled and rolled over.   
  
Kloppman was at her aid immediately.   
  
"What has it Halfie?" he asked on bended knee while she sat on the bed.  
  
"Nothing, I'm sorry." she told him, embarrassed for disturbing the sleep of so many newsies.  
  
"Do you want an older girl to sleep with you in your bed heah?"  
  
She shook her head. "If anyone, can Race do it?"  
  
He hesitated for a moment before agreeing and going to the boys side, most of the boys were already awakened by the scream. After Kloppman told him of the request, Race nodded and started over to the otherside.  
  
"OOoooh, Race is gonna sleep with a giiiirl." Dutchy called out from the corner, laughing hysterically.  
  
Race growled and pounced on him, rolling around with him on the floor.   
  
"It ain't like dat. She's my friend and she's scahd." he told him throwing his punches. He contemplated for a moment and then went to the girls side to attend to his new found best friend.  
  
She lay in her bed weeping and shaking, holding tightly to Aine. He joined her, hugging her gently.  
  
"Sshh, I'm heah. You don't hafta be afraid no moah."   
  
"Thanks." she told him in the hiccoughs between tears. "I didn't mean to wake everyone up....I'm afraid they'll start hating me."  
  
"Naw...no one'd do that. And if they do, I'll beat 'em up for you." he told her grinning a little and stroking her hair. "Was it your parents?"  
  
She nodded slowly.   
  
"Its all right, I'm heah now. I won't let anyone hoit you'se." he told her covering them both.   
  
He stroked her hair and sang softly in her ear until the little girl's grip on his hand fell limp and her breathing became heavy. 


	3. Husband and Wife

To everyone who's been reviewing and reading, thank you so much. I reread the story and realize I have some spelling errors, but I'm sure its nothing you can't guess, but i do apologize for them.  
  
And to the person who said Race's mom is in the movie, where is she? I've never heard that before, unless you mean Patrick's mother and Racetrack is SO NOT a Patrick.  
  
Just a quick note to everyone: This story, its sequel and the story about the other newsie I'm doing a sugary piece of shit on are NOT insert fics. Meaning if you ask me enough I will pair you with your favorite newsie. Most of the newsies are taken by characters we've made up. I may put some people with their newsies that are free, but those newsies are going to being extremely minor characters. You'll be mentioned maybe once and no I will not devote a whole chapter of sex to you or anything of the sort as it doesn't pertain to this story. Please keep that in mind before you ask.  
  
Also, the use of Night and Day is in reference to the Frank Sinatra song. I realize in 1894 they wouldn't have had that song, but just pretend.   
  
Chapter Three   
  
Husband and Wife  
  
  
Fiona woke up the next morning to the sound of Kloppman banging his walking stick on the floor and flicking the lights on and off repeatedly. She stretched and looked outside, noticing the sun was just a pink spec in the sky.  
  
The girls got ready, clanging into each other to get a bath or to wash their faces or to change into the thousands of layers and clothes the older girls seemed to wear. As they got ready, Fiona heard a buzz from the half asleep crowd discussing how annoying it was that little kids come in here and wake everyone up in the middle of the night. Fiona sighed and turned back over into Race who made an angry face and the girl who had started the discussion.   
  
With a small smile, Race put a loving arm on her back.   
  
"Wake up Halfie." he told her with a small smile. Her green eyes opened again and she yawned.  
  
"Do you all hafta wake up dis early every mornin'?"   
  
He nodded. "Yup, its da life of a newsie. Come on, you'll be my selling partner dis week. Cute as you are, we'll be rolling in dough today." Of course he didn't let on that he never had a selling partner.  
  
She smiled shyly and dressed once he had disappeared to the other side to dress himself. As she buttoned her last button, he reappeared offering his hand to the little blond child who held fast to the doll. He grinned and offered her a hand which she readily took.  
  
"Race, do you think I'm a baby 'cause I carry around a doll still?"   
  
He grinned a little and shook his head. "Naw. I'll let you in on a secret," he told her pulling out a harmonica. "Dis is my most prized possession, I carry it around everywheah."   
  
She smiled feeling a little more comfortable with him and somehow he knew. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her and walked to the DC, proud she had picked him out of all the newsies to be friends with.   
  
As the line progressed, he swindled his way into getting 50 papers, handing one to Fiona.   
  
"Heah, I'm gonna show you how to be a newsie. You pick out shitty, excuse me, bad headlines and improve on 'em."   
  
Fiona looked at the paper for a moment as he shook it a little and then to his eyes. The only way she would have a free hand is if she let go of his hand, something she was not about to do, but another obstacle stood in her way, one she was embarrassed to admit.  
  
"Race? I can't read." she admitted drawing circles in the dust with the toe of her shoe.   
  
He smiled as if it were not a big deal. Many newsies and kids laboring didn't know how to read either so it didn't phase him in the least.  
  
"Dat's okay. Jus' do what I tell you, aight? See dat rich lady dere? Walk up to her and ask her to by a pape from you, but cough and act real pathetic ya know and look cute."   
  
Fiona nodded and walked up to the woman, coughing in her hand as if she was stricken with consumption and asked her to buy her last paper. The woman smiled sympathetically and handed her a penny and took the paper, most probably tossing it away later.   
  
Smiling, Fiona swung Aine around and then scanned the crowd to find Race who had been watching from a ways away. For a panic stricken moment, she thought he'd left her in the crowed alone without knowing her way home. But her delight, he didn't. He crept up behind her and smiled.  
  
"Great job." he congradulated her, but refused the shiny penny when she tried to give it to him. "Its yours, you sold da pape."  
  
She grinned a little. "Are all people idiots and buy papes so easily?"   
  
"shhh, not so loud, Halfie," he warned afraid the people around them would decide to turn them in for fraud or worse yet, decide not to buy his papers that day.  
  
She covered her mouth. "I'm sorry."   
  
"No big deal, Half."   
  
She smiled and looked him in the eyes. "Its Fiona."   
  
"I like dat bettah." he told her smiling warmly. "My real name's Anthony."   
  
She said the name over and over again in her head. "I like it, suits you bettah dan Racetrack."   
  
He laughed good naturedly, "Den you ain't seen me at Sheepshead. On an off day I'll take you dere sometime. It ain't really a place for nice little goils like yaself, but ya gotta experience it once."   
  
She smiled again at his enthusiasm.   
  
"You got a real nice smile." he told her, not knowing what was overcoming him. He didn't like girls yet, did he? "You kinda look like what I imagine an angel would look like, anyone evah tell you dat?"   
  
She smiled again, blushing deeply, feeling her entire small body on fire.  
  
"One man did..."  
  
"He had eyes." Race told her grinning. "I'm gonna call you angel from now on, aight? It'll be like ya secret nickname. Do you mind?"  
  
She shook her head. "I kinda like it."   
  
He smiled and put his hat back on and finished selling his papers, aided by her. He found selling was so much easier when he was with a girl for some reason. After selling his last one, he took the little girl to Tibby's and realized he hadn't let go of her hand the entire morning. And he liked it.   
  
After ordering her a hotdog and a rootbeer and milk for Aine, he sat the doll in the middle of the table and grinned, setting his harmonica in front of her.   
  
'I'm too old to pretend I'm married to Race and Aine is our baby, right?' Fiona asked herself.  
  
As they waited for the food, Race contemplated for a bit, looking from Aine to Fiona.   
  
"Its kinda like we're married huh?"   
  
Fiona grinned and nodded. "Dat's just what I was thinking."   
  
She looked at the doll for a moment. The doll had been a gift from her mother for her fifth birthday. She never knew how her mother saved up enough money for a doll as pretty as Aine, put she had. And she had loved Aine from the moment she laid eyes on her.   
  
Race watched the child's face become sullen and knew she was thinking about her mother, so he started making silly faces at her, faces that made her laugh out loud.   
  
"Dere, I like you smiling better."   
  
She turned red from head to toe once more.  
  
"Fiona? I got an idea. If we're single when we're 20, we're getting married."  
  
She smiled and nodded. "Dat sounds good. Why don't we swear somehow....heah."  
  
She pulled a safety pin off of her petticoat that held a rip together and punctured her little finger, passing it to Race who did the same and they then rubbed their fingers together.   
  
"Dere. Its official. Can't toin back now." he said, pinning the safety pin to his pants.  
  
The two sat in an awkward silence for a while. It wasn't until the other newsies came in that Fiona became upset once more. When she looked over there, she saw the newsies laughing and pointing at the pair.  
  
"Dey's laughing at me because I screamed last night." she told him, looking at her plate which was almost empty by now.  
  
"Naw, its 'cause you'se cute and you're sitting with me."   
  
Fiona smiled, knowing full well it was just a way to make her feel better. But before either of them could think twice, Dutchy who had hit his growth spurt picked up the doll and held it above Race's head.   
  
"Heya wop. You want your little baby?"   
  
Race grit his teeth. "Give it back to me."   
  
"Oooh, da daddy is upset." he said laughing, having heard the whole marriage proposal.   
  
"Just give it back." Race said, staying painfully calm.   
  
Dutchy laughed and tossed it to Skittery who started dancing it on the table.  
  
"Bastards!" Race yelled jumping on top of Dutchy, trying to take his glasses.   
  
In the mean time, Fiona had disappeared to the bathroom, crying. Of course this would happen, she reasoned. 'No one likes me or ever will. Just like Michael always told me'.   
  
Noticing her absensce, Race abandoned his fight and knocked on the bathroom door, opening it with his eyes closed.  
  
"Fiona? You in heah?"  
  
She almost laughed and wiped her tears.   
  
"Yeah, I'm heah. You can open your eyes. Look, I'm gonna leave 'cause no one heah likes me."  
  
"Bull shit!" he exclaimed. "I do. Dey's just joiks 'cause dey can't sell and none of 'em like me and you do."   
  
She scrunched up her nose, she couldn't fathom why anyone wouldn't like him...he was sweet and kind...and awfully cute.  
  
Nodding slowly, she took his hand. "I just want Aine and I wanna go home."  
  
He nodded and started out the door and lead her to the boys, seeing Aine held captive on their table.  
  
"May I have her, please?" Fiona asked in a small voice.  
  
"What's da magic woid?" Dutchy asked.   
  
"I already said please." Fiona told him, her tears coming again.  
  
Pie Eater sighed and looked around, handing the pathetic looking child the doll.  
  
"Heah, take it. Dis ain't fun no more." he said, hoping everyone else would agree.  
  
They just shrugged and kept eating, not really caring one way or another about Fiona, they just knew making fun of her got Race's goat.   
  
"Come on, Half, let's get outta heah. Smells like Dutchy wet his pants again." Race told her, tugging at her hand.   
  
She looked down at the ground the whole way home. When they reached the stairs, she yawned a little.   
  
"Come on, let's get you two into bed to take a nap."   
  
Fiona smiled as he tucked her into her bunk.   
  
"Thanks, Race. She's real tired." she told him settling in next to her.   
  
He grinned and kissed the doll's forehead. "Lemme sing to her. It'll get her to sleep easiah. Dis is my favorite song, but its kinda a secret song, just like me calling you angel. My dad sang it to my mom, dat's what da nuns told me."   
  
Fiona nodded and watched his face as he sang Night and Day to her. She and Aine were asleep within minutes. 


	4. NOTE

2 Special Notes  
  
1) All right, I cannot reiterate enough that this is NOT AN AUTHOR INSERT FIC. Please refrain from asking if you can have certain newsies! Its getting very, very, very annoying and old. Just so you know, these are the newsies which are taken or must be single for the purposes of the story:  
Racetrack   
Jack  
Spot  
Kid Blink  
Mush  
Specs  
Skittery  
Dutchy  
Pie Eater  
Bumlets  
  
If you ask me for a newsie that isn't listed there, fine, you can have him in your mind but 9 times out of ten he's not going to be in the story if he's not one of the ones listed there. And please don't whine if your newsie is taken/must remain single. THIS IS NOT AN AUTHOR INSERT FIC. All of the girlfriends of the newsies are made up characters and not this person or that person.  
  
  
2) My internet is on crack. I swear. Its down for heaven knows when, so I can only update when I get to my parent's house. I can write at home, but it won't be up until later. Next time a few chapters will probably be up. Thanks for your patience! 


	5. Christmas 1894

Thanks to all the people who've been reviewing this sugary piece of crap! ;)  
  
UPDATE: My internet finally works. So, expect more up quicker. The sooner i'm done with this, the sooner I'm starting with the next story and then on to the sequel to this one. Yay....or something.  
  
And to the girl who asked (sorry I forget your s/n), no that's not the order in which these happen. Actually only Race and Mush get stories, but those are the newsies that are taken.   
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
Christmas  
  
Winter was coming up fast in New York in 1894, a time of year all the newsies dreaded. They dreaded it not only for their insufficient winter clothes that kept them cold and wet all season, but for the entire Christmas season in general. Not many of them had ever celebrated a decent Christmas, much less had a visit from Santa Claus. More so than any other time of the year, watching families pass by together made them wish they were apart of one even more.  
  
Fiona and Racetrack were out selling one afternoon near Christmas when the first snowflakes began to fall.  
  
"Race! Its snowing." Fiona squealed excitedly, sticking out her tongue to catch a flake. Race merely smiled and pulled her coat more tightly around her so her thin frame wouldn't become too cold.  
  
The snow conjured up images of Christmas with her mother for Fiona. It was never anything fancy, no presents, just a warm candle in the window to light Mary and Joseph's way and a long church service. On Christmas day, her mother always made her something special to eat and even Michael seemed happy that day and his gift to her was always letting her have Aine.   
  
"What do you guys do around heah for Christmas?" she asked, looking at the rich kids pass by in their warm winter coats and the rich little girls asking their fathers for that beautiful doll in the window. "Does Santa Claus come visit you or does he fahget?"  
  
Race looked down at his feet. In the orphanage, each orphan got one gift that had been donated to the establishment and the nuns told them Santa Claus brought them, always adding to Race that he was a lucky little boy for even getting a present because he "killed his mother". After he left the orphanage, Santa seemed to have abandoned him.   
  
"Naw, he fahgets." He answered, squeezing her hand as he watched her green eyes drift to a beautiful, porcelin doll in the window.  
  
Her eyes moved to his, knowing it was fruitless to even look at the doll. "He always fahgot me too. I wondah why he comes to some kids and not uddahs. We couldn't have been dat naughty."  
  
He smiled a little. "I'm not shoa he even exists. Or maybe just rich kids see him 'cause dey get everything anyway."  
  
She nodded in agreement and they began walking a few blocks in silence, selling a few newspapers on the way.  
  
"Race? Whattaya want for Christmas?" she asked.  
  
"Nothin'. I stopped thinkin' about it yeahs ago. What about you?"   
  
"I nevah got presents befoah, so I'm used to it." she told him shrugging.  
  
"We don't need Christmas anyway." Race told her confidently, but more for her benefit. He was aching just as much as she was to see a real Christmas.   
  
She nodded and they walked along the road, selling and talking quietly. As Fiona sold a paper to a rich looking little girl, the girls father gave the little girl a quarter and she put it in Fiona's hand.  
  
"Merry Christmas." she told her smiling and walked off with her father.  
  
Race, who had seen the whole exchange looked at her seething mad.  
  
"She only gave it ta me 'cause its Christmas." she told him flaring her nostrils and touching the quarter like it was dirty.  
  
"Christmas should be moah dan once a yeah." Race said angrily. "Let's get rid of it somehow."  
  
Fiona nodded and turned to her left seeing some graceful and some not so graceful people on rented ice skates, making circles on a frozen pond. She had never been able afford such a luxury and always wondered what it would be like to whizz by everyone, as light and feathery as a real angel.  
  
"I know," she told him excitedly "we'll rent some skates and ice skate and then when we're done we can buy some hot chocolate."   
  
Race smiled and nodded, liking the idea himself. Fiona proudly gave the lady her shiny quarter renting two pairs of skates. After she took them, she and Race sat down on the bench provided and tied the skates onto their shoes.  
  
"Race...do you want anything from me for Christmas?" she asked double knotting her last lace.  
  
"Naw...except sing for me on christmas. I love ya voice." he told her smiling.   
  
"Aight, but you shoa you don't want somethin' real inexpensive?"  
  
"Make me a card. I know you don't know how to write, but you could draw Christmas pictuahs on it and I'll know its from you 'cause I nevah got a card befoah. Da only time I evah did was in da orphanage and I didn't even know da poisin. I always wanted one from someone who meant somethin' to me." he answered, standing up unsteadily and holding her as well, making sure she didn't fall.  
  
She nodded as she started out not feeling as graceful as she thought she would. "I'll throw in a suprise too."   
  
"What can I get you?" he asked skating awkwardly himself.  
  
"I dunno, I nevah got a present befoah, except Aine."  
  
"I know just da thing." he told her, skating off.  
  
They skated in silence for a few more moments, resembling more robots than graceful angels. The wind nipped at their faces, making their cheeks rosy and their noses just as red. After about 15 minutes, Fiona and Race decided to call it quits and sat down to remove their skates.  
  
After removing her pair, Fiona laid down in the snow and made a snow angel, marking it hers by writing her name with a nearby twig. Her name was one of the few things she knew how to write.   
  
"Did you evah get presents from Specs?" she asked adjusting Aine and turning in her skates.  
  
"Naw, we can't afford shit, angel."   
  
"I know. It would just be nice for something good to happen once to us." she answered tightening her scarf and heading towards Tibby's.  
  
"Maybe somethin' will dis year." he offered, before entering Tibby's.  
  
They ordered their hot chocolates and chit chatted about everything before Race volunteered that he was warm enough to leave. Fiona immediately wrapped Aine in her own coat.   
  
"Can we sit here for a little longer? Her coat's real thin."  
  
Race smiled and nodded. "For as long as Aine wants."  
  
"Good." Fiona replied rocking the doll. She was covered in goosebumps and kept the doll closer to keep warm. "She gets cold real easily and she's got goosebumps. She's got thin Irish blood, just like me."  
  
After a good hour, Fiona offered that she was warm enough and ready to trek back out into the cold. She replaced her hat, scarf and mittens and took his hand, holding her doll close as ever. As they narrowed the turn to the LH, a bundled up Dutchy appeared causing both of them to shrink in terror.  
  
"Heya Fi! Can we talk to Race alone for a little bit?" he asked the thin framed child.  
  
"Y-y-yeah." she stammered, scared as hell they would harm her best friend. She stepped away, watching from a distance just to make sure.   
  
Dutchy grinned at Race for the first time in years.  
  
"Heya Race...we were thinkin' about gettin' somethin' special for Fiona because we've been big joiks to her and you." he began, handing Race six dollars in change. "And so you don't think we'll take da money and run, you can buy her whatevah you want and say its from all a us. We all chipped in. We'll take her home for you."  
  
Race smiled from ear to ear putting the money in his pocket.  
  
"Thanks guys...she'll love it. Poor kid, she desoives a present too." he told them starting off to buy her that big warm coat he saw in the window of a fancy store. It had cost a whole $5 and he was sure he had caught her staring at it and imagining how warm it was.  
  
*****  
  
Race stole into her room on Christmas Eve. The boys had all made apologies to Fiona and being so desperate for someone to like her, she forgave them right away, even though their apologies were genuine. Race smiled at her and got in bed. It was a nightly ritual for him to read to her until she fell asleep, and tonight she had selected the first few chapters of St. Luke, the way her mother read to her every Christmas.   
  
Smiling, Race put his arm around her and pulled the covers to their chins and read aloud the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. As he read it, Fiona could almost hear the soft tones of her mother's voice as she tucked her in on Christmas night and reread the ancient tale. A few tears escaped the child's eyes and Race wiped them away without hesitation.   
  
*****  
  
The next morning, the two awoke in each other's arms, feeling like brother and sister. As soon as Fiona's eyes opened wide she smiled and jumped up pulling Race's presents from under her bed; a "special present" wrapped in newspaper and the card with random Christmas associated designs and on the inside a heart with the name "Fiona" scrawled messily.  
  
After he was fully concious, she handed him his presents.  
  
"Fi! You shouldn't have done this." he smiled ripping open the newspaper and finding a red homemade scarf.  
  
"My mom taught me how to knit and I knew red was your favorite colah." she smiled hugging him.  
  
He grinned and put it around his neck pretending to look dignified.  
  
"I think everyone else is up, you wanna go down?"  
  
She nodded and put on her coat as he smiled to himself. After being treated to a good breakfast for once from the nuns, Skittery looked to a large package on the hearth.  
  
"Fiona...Santa left you somethin'."   
  
Fiona's jaw dropped as she went over the package and teared it open. By then she knew full well it was the boys and not Santa, Santa didn't know she existed. She pulled out a beautiful ivory and maroon coat and almost started crying.  
  
"Dis must've cost five dollahs! Thank you so much." she told them all, hugging them but not before putting it on and modeling it.  
  
"Don't thank us, thank Santa." Dutchy said with a smile and a rare twinkle in his eye. "But dere is a special present from me and Skitt in dere."   
  
Fiona nodded and pulled out another wrapped gift...it was a dress for Aine...a perfect fit and it just matched her coat. Underneath it was a note that she couldn't read, but Race read it for her. "We're sorry fah da way we acted. You ain't a baby. We hope dis makes up for it."  
  
She smiled huge, dressed Aine in the dress and hugged them both. She finally fit in someone and had people who loved her. 


	6. The Dance Hall

Wow.....I really haven't updated this story in forever. But here goes.   
  
Chapter 5: The Dance Hall  
  
Three years had passed since that Chrsitmas of 1894. Fiona was now fourteen and Race, fifteen. Aine, clad in the dress Skittery and Dutchy had given her, had long been put on Fiona's top shelf. She outgrew the new coat soon enough and gave it to a young child who seemed to need it more than she.  
  
The year prior, all of the girls had left the lodging house. They dispersed in all different directions...to get married, to work as a seamstress, to do something else. Except Fiona. She couldn't bare to leave the house, but most of all, she couldn't bear to leave Race. He was still her best friend, her confidant. And the object of her secret desire, which she would never tell anyone. All she wanted was for Race to catch her in his arms and kiss her good and hard. But she didn't know if Race thought of her as just a "chum", so she convinced herself she could never have him.  
  
As a result of Fiona being the only girl, all of the boys developed these massive crushes on her. Her body was now shaping into that of a woman's, which distracted most of the boys. She was growing so fast, as they all were, that many times, she could not afford new shirts to keep up with the pace of her changing body. At this point in time, her shirt did not button all the way up, leaving the top of her breasts somewhat exposed. She didn't think anything of it as the boys were all brothers to her, but they certainly did.   
  
That particular night, they were all headed out to dancing at Medda's place. Race sat on Fiona's bed with his legs crossed, watching her primp. He rolled his eyes further into his head as he watched her.  
  
'I don't get dat woman.' he thought to himself. 'She thinks she's ugly when she's da most goigis thing I'se evah seen....it don't make no sense.'  
  
Fiona ran the brush through her long blonde hair one more time before backing up and surveying herself in the mirror. She made a face as if she was disgusted with herself and sighed heavily.   
  
"What? You look good. Why do you gotta act like you ain't attractive?"  
  
"Cause I ain't." She told him, sitting down at the foot of his bed. He rolled his eyes at that. How could she be blind to the fact that every boy here had a boner every time she walked by?  
  
Fiona was pretty, there was no doubt about that, but all the boys loved her just because she was their very own female. They were all at that age where their sexual drives were going all over the place and wanted nothing more than to be with a girl. Fiona just happened to be the only attractive one any of them really knew.   
  
Racetrack took a puff of his cigar, knowing that he was absolutely no competition for Mush Meyers, who also had his eye on Fiona.   
  
"Are you ready to go yet?" he asked her. She nodded as he stood up and offered her his arm.   
  
She gracefully took it and looked him over, watching the way his mouth curled as he puffed on his precious cigar. His mouth was so gorgeous and she wanted nothing more than to kiss it slowly. But she shook the thought out of her mind as they made their way in silence towards Medda's.  
  
"How's dat new dancah you boys were so gaga ovah?" she inquired after a few moments of silence.  
  
"Her? She's aight I guess if you like dat type. Overly made up, ya know da deal. I like more natural women anyhow." he told her as the marquee came into view. He slowly lead her inside and offered her a seat.  
  
As soon as she sat down, Mush Meyers made his way through the crowded, smoky room.   
  
"Care to dance?" he asked Fiona, bowing before her. She giggled a little and accepted, looking over at Race.  
  
"I'll save you a dance." She promised him and flashed him a grin. He returned the grin, but there was something odd behind it that she couldn't quite place.   
  
Mush grabbed her by the wrist into the crowd. The further they moved in, the more smoke filled it became, causing Fiona to try and catch her breath when clean air passed through. She held onto Mush tightly, worried she might lose him through the whirl of the crowd. He danced with her for three songs, making her laugh and happy to see he brought a smile to her pretty face.   
  
As soon as the third song ended, she looked up to find Race. She stood on her tiptoes to find him but he had become lost in the crowd of people much taller than he.  
  
"Lookin' fer Race?" Mush asked, shaking her out of her thoughts.  
  
Fiona nodded and grimaced slightly. "How'd you....?"   
  
He shrugged and gave a knowing grin, one which made Fiona truly wonder what was behind that grin....what he knew that he wasn't letting on.   
  
"I need a cigarette." Fiona told him flatly, anxious to be out of Race's sight. Truth be told, Race was quite figity himself not knowing where Fiona was. Mush was looking after her, he knew, but that wasn't enough. He always wanted his eyes locked on her.  
  
Mush nodded at the proposition.  
  
"I'll come out and have one wid you. It ain't right for a pretty young girl ta be out alone, lest somethin' might happen ta her."   
  
Fiona smiled, grateful that the boys wanted to always look after her. Truth be told, the streets of New York weren't safe at night for anyone. Who knew what dangers were lurking behind that next alley way?  
  
As they exited the hall to breathe some fresh air, Fiona noticed Meddah had come out with her dancers. A new one with light brown hair was dancing around, kissing all of the boys....her boys. Even though she cared about all the newsies at the LH, she didn't care what any of them did with other girls, just as long as Race...her Race, wasn't so much as looking at another girl.  
  
She turned and saw the girl kiss Race's ear and whisper something into it. Afraid she might burst into tears, Fiona ran outside before anyone could see the look on her face. This was all so silly, she reasoned. Race would never go for her...this she knew, or at least thought she knew.   
  
As they made their way outside amidst the other boys and girls with the same idea, Fiona feared that the lump in her throat might rise and make the hot tears welling in her eyes actually spill.   
  
Noticing her grief, Mush offered her a cigarette and put a hand on her shoulder. "Its aight you know. He don't like dat girl."   
  
"I'm not all shook up about dat." Fiona lied, taking the cigarette and lighting it and taking a small graceful puff from it.  
  
Mush knew better, but decided not to press the subject. He leaned against the brick building, taking long drags on his cigarette and exhaling them through his thick lips.   
  
Just then, Race came outside, puffing on his half smoked cigar. His eyebrows were knitted together and he looked somewhat distressed.  
  
"You aight?" Fiona asked, almost too quickly for her own pleasure. "I mean, what's wrong?"  
  
"I ain't feel so good." Race answered flatly. "I think I'm gonna go back ta da Lodgin' House."   
  
Fiona nodded. "Want me to come with you?"   
  
"Naw....I need some time alone." he said. The truth was, he couldn't bear to be around Fiona if he knew he couldn't have her. It ate him up inside and he knew one day he would burst, especially if he saw her with someone else...someone much handsomer and richer than he was. Yes, she surely deserved that as sweet and pretty as she was.   
  
"o-okay." Fiona answered, sinking back to finish her cigarette and watching his frame disappear into the distance.   
  
At that moment, the tears fell freely. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. She was sure Mush saw them, but he didn't say anything. 


End file.
